EP0500902B1 - High-speed roller-way - Google Patents
High-speed roller-way Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0500902B1 EP0500902B1 EP91916955A EP91916955A EP0500902B1 EP 0500902 B1 EP0500902 B1 EP 0500902B1 EP 91916955 A EP91916955 A EP 91916955A EP 91916955 A EP91916955 A EP 91916955A EP 0500902 B1 EP0500902 B1 EP 0500902B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- conveyor
- wheel
- drive
- friction
- friction wheel
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
- 229910000831 Steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 3
- 229920002635 polyurethane Polymers 0.000 description 3
- 239000004814 polyurethane Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000010959 steel Substances 0.000 description 3
- 229920004943 Delrin® Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000005461 lubrication Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000004677 Nylon Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000009825 accumulation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000295 complement effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000428 dust Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012423 maintenance Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003278 mimic effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229920001778 nylon Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000000717 retained effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005096 rolling process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012546 transfer Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G13/00—Roller-ways
- B65G13/02—Roller-ways having driven rollers
- B65G13/06—Roller driving means
- B65G13/073—Roller driving means comprising free-wheel gearing
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G13/00—Roller-ways
- B65G13/02—Roller-ways having driven rollers
- B65G13/06—Roller driving means
- B65G13/071—Roller driving means with frictional engagement
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
- B65G47/22—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors
- B65G47/26—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors arranging the articles, e.g. varying spacing between individual articles
- B65G47/261—Accumulating articles
- B65G47/263—Accumulating articles the conveyor drive is taken from a longitudinally extending shaft
Definitions
- Figures 10-12 show a second embodiment of the invention, in which a different type of second friction wheel and drive wheel are mounted on the support shafts.
- the rest of the conveyor, including the drive shaft, the first friction wheels, and the conveyor rollers remain the same as in the first embodiment, except that the conveyor rollers 18 ride at the bottom of the slots 86.
- this embodiment contemplates a number of drive wheels, with each of the drive wheels located so as to contact and drive two conveyor rollers.
- the support shaft (second friction wheel shaft) 200 has a threaded end 202, which terminates at a shoulder 204, which is larger than the opening in the side rail 16 through which the support shaft 200 is mounted.
- the support shaft is mounted on the side rail 16 by means of a nut 206 and lock washer 208, which push the shoulder 204 against the side rail 16.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Rollers For Roller Conveyors For Transfer (AREA)
- Rolls And Other Rotary Bodies (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a line shaft conveyor which is particularly suited to high speed applications.
- In the past, most high speed conveyors were made using flat belts or chains to drive the conveyor rollers. These conveyors generally cannot run at rates above 240 feet per minute, due to the limitation in chain speed, bearing limitations, or chain or belt vibrations. These chain and belt drives also had to be broken into sections with separate drives for long conveyors, due to the limited capacity of the chains or belts used to drive the conveyor.
- Twisted belt line shaft conveyors are also known in the art. These conveyors do not have to be broken into sections for a long drive as do the belt-driven or chain-driven conveyors, but they cannot be driven at high speeds, because the twisted belts which wrap around the drive shaft and the conveyor rollers have very little surface area contact for driving, and they will slip and fail at high speeds. Such a conveyor is disclosed in Patent No. GB 1561373.
- Conveyors are known which use a bevel gear or worm gear drive between the line shaft and the conveyor rollers, but these are expensive to manufacture, difficult to maintain, due to the requirements of lubrication, and not suitable for high speed applications for several reasons. For example, the gear sets require precise location for proper drive on the pitch line to reduce noise and wear. High speed gear sets need an enclosed housing to provide lubrication, which adds expense to the conveyor. Also, it is not possible to compensate for the wear of the gears, so gears would have to be replaced frequently in a high speed application.
- Thus, it would be very impractical to drive a high speed conveyor by means of gears.
- Some line shaft conveyors are known to use friction wheels to transmit drive from the drive shaft to the conveyor roller, but these conveyors have not been commercially successful. The friction wheel drives typically have at least one wheel which has very little contact surface for driving (i.e., point contact), so the wheels wear out quickly and slip at high speeds. These designs attempt to mimic the twisted belt line shaft conveyors, which, as mentioned above, are not at all suited to high speed applications.
- US-A-4,193,492 discloses a lineshaft-driven roller conveyor, in which a tapered drive wheel on the drive shaft mates with a driven wheel mounted on the conveyor frame to drive said driven wheel. On the back of said driven wheel is a rim which contacts the conveyor roller and drives the roller whenever the driven wheel rotates. In order to stop the driving in a zone of the conveyor, a device is used to push the drive wheels for a zone axially along the drive shaft so that they are out of contact with their respective driven wheels.
- The present invention relates to a conveyor, comprising a conveyor frame, at least one conveyor roller mounted on said conveyor frame, a drive shaft extending along said conveyor and a drive connection between said drive shaft and said conveyor roller, said drive connection includes drive disconnection means having a first condition in which the conveyor roller is rotatable by the drive shaft, and a second condition in which the drive from the drive shaft to the conveyor roller is disconnected, characterised in that said drive connection includes at least one friction wheel for transmitting the drive to the at least one conveyor roller and a driven wheel driven by said drive shaft, the friction wheel and the driven wheel being rotatable about a drive axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of the drive shaft, said friction wheel being at least substantially co-axial with and driven by the driven wheel through a frictional connection between an inner surface of the friction wheel and an outer surface of the driven wheel.
- Thus, the invention provides a high speed conveyor which can operate at much higher speeds than prior art conveyors. It can operate at speeds of 2,3 m/s (450 feet per minute) or higher, as compared with the highest speed of approximately 1,2 m/s (240 feet per minute) in the prior art.
- The present invention takes advantage of a line shaft type of drive, so it is not necessary to break the conveyor into pieces with separate drives when the conveyor becomes long.
- The present invention provides a smooth, simple drive, which is easy to maintain and is quiet, eliminating the noise and maintenance problems of prior art drives.
- The present invention provides for good surface contact of the driving members and provides a spring force which keeps the driving members in contact with each other and which compensates for wear.
- The present invention provides a high speed drive arrangement which can be driven as easily in the backward direction as in the forward direction and therefore can be reversed as needed, without any problems involving chain or belt tensioning.
- The present invention also provides a means for stopping the driving of the conveyor rollers, creating an accumulating conveyor.
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- Figure 1 is a schematic top view of a conveyor made in accordance with the present invention;
- Figure 2 is a side view thereof;
- Figure 3 is a view taken along the section 3-3 of Figure 1;
- Figure 4 is a view taken along the section 4-4 of Figure 3;
- Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the first friction wheel, which is shown in Figures 1-4;
- Figure 6 is a view taken along the section 6-6 of Figure 1;
- Figure 7 is the same view as Figure 6 but with the brake applied to stop the zone of rollers;
- Figure 8 is a broken-away perspective view of the braking arrangement shown in Figures 6 and 7;
- Figure 9 is a sectional view through the semi-cylindrical portions of the first friction wheel;
- Figure 10 is a top view of a portion of the conveyor, showing a second embodiment of the invention, with the side rail, the second friction wheel, and the drive wheel shown in section;
- Figure 11 is a view taken along the section 11-11 of Figure 10; and
- Figure 12 is the same view as Figure 10, except that the drive wheel has disengaged from the second friction wheel.
- The conveyor 10 of the present invention has two embodiments. The first embodiment is shown in Figures 1-9, and the second embodiment is shown in Figures 10-12. The first embodiment of the conveyor is made up of a conveyor frame 12, with a
left side rail 14 and aright side rail 16 and a plurality ofconveyor rollers 18 havingshafts 20 whose left and right ends are mounted in the left and right side rails, respectively. The axes of rotation of theconveyor rollers 18 are substantially perpendicular to the left andright side rails - A motor (not shown) drives a
drive shaft 22. Thedrive shaft 22 lies below theconveyor rollers 18 and has an axis which is substantially parallel to the direction of travel. On thedrive shaft 22 at regular intervals are mountedfirst friction wheels 24. As shown in this embodiment, there is onefirst friction wheel 24 for every twoconveyor rollers 18. Thefirst friction wheels 24 are coaxial with thedrive shaft 22. Eachfirst friction wheel 24 has abeveled end 26, which is beveled at an angle alpha from the axis of thedrive shaft 22. In this embodiment, the angle alpha is 40 degrees. Thefirst friction wheel 24 is preferably made of a hard material such as steel or nylon. - The first friction wheels are preferably made in three pieces -- the
first piece 28 is substantially cylindrical and includes thebeveled end 26. Thisfirst piece 28 will be referred to as the beveled piece. Thebeveled piece 28 has acentral bore 32, which is slightly larger than the diameter of thedrive shaft 22. It has aflat back surface 34, which lies in a plane that is perpendicular to the axis of thecentral bore 32. Theback surface 34 defines twocylindrical recesses 36. Thesecond piece 38 andthird piece 40 of eachfirst friction wheel 24 are identical to each other. Each cf thosepieces third pieces central bore 44. Thesemi-cylindrical pieces shaft 22. Each of thesemi-cylindrical pieces flat front surface 46, which is intended to abut theflat back surface 34 of thebeveled piece 28, and each of theflat front surfaces 46 defines abore 48, which can be aligned with thecylindrical recesses 36 in thebevel piece 28 to receivepins 50. Thecylindrical recesses 36 in thebevel piece 28 receive thepin 50 with a press fit, so thepins 50 are retained on thebevel pieces 28. Thecylindrical bores 48 in thesemi-cylindrical pieces entrance portion 52, which permits aspring 54 to be mounted around eachpin 50. Thesprings 54 apply a force which tends to push thebevel piece 28 away from thesemi-cylindrical pieces bevel piece 28 in driving contact with a second friction wheel, which will be described later. Inside theenlarged entrance openings 52, the cylindrical bores 48 have a reduced diameter, which provides ashoulder 56 for the spring to push against. The reduceddiameter portion 58 of the cylindrical bores 48 is large enough to permit thepin 50 to slide relative to thesemi-cylindrical pieces Caps 60 are press fit onto the ends of thepins 50 to prevent the pins from sliding out of thesemi-cylindrical pieces - Each of the
semi-cylindrical pieces radial recesses 62, which receive aninsert 64. Eachinsert 64 is slightly longer than itsradial recess 62, so that the insert projects slightly from the semi-cylindrical inner surface 42 of itsrespective piece - Each of the
semi-cylindrical pieces bore 66, which is substantially perpendicular to the axis of thecentral bore 44, and ahexagonal bore 68, which can be aligned with the bolt-receivingbore 66 of the othersemi-circular piece bore 66 of eachpiece opposite piece bolts 70 andhexagonal nuts 71 are inserted into their respective bolt-receivingbores 66 andhexagonal bores 68 and are threaded together to clamp thepieces shaft 22. (The nuts 71 may be molded as an integral part of thebores 68 as an alternative to the embodiment shown here.) As thebolts 70 are tightened, theinserts 64 contact thedrive shaft 22 and press against it. Theinserts 64 are preferably made of polyurethane, so that, when thebolts 70 are tightened, the inserts apply a force to thedrive shaft 22 which causes thesemi-cylindrical pieces drive shaft 22. Thepins 50 cause thebeveled piece 28 of thefirst wheel 24 to rotate with thesemi-circular pieces springs 54 cause thebeveled piece 28 of thefirst friction wheel 24 to be biased in the direction of thebeveled end 26. - On the
right side rail 16 of the conveyor 10 is mounted a plurality ofsecond friction wheels 72, one for everyfirst friction wheel 24. Thesesecond friction wheels 72 are molded onto ahub 74, which is mounted on abearing 76, which, in turn, is mounted on astub shaft 78 that is bolted to theright side rail 16. In this manner, thesecond friction wheel 72 is free to rotate about the axis of thestub shaft 78, which is substantially perpendicular to the right side rail, but thesecond friction wheel 72 is otherwise in a fixed position relative to the conveyor frame 12, in that it cannot move toward or away from theside rail 16 or up or down relative to theside rail 16. Thesecond friction wheel 72 has abeveled end 80, which lies at an angle beta relative to its axis of rotation. In this embodiment, the angle beta is 50 degrees. As is shown in the drawings, the beveled ends 26, 80 of the first andsecond friction wheels - The sum of the angles alpha and beta, which are the angles of the bevels on the first and
second friction wheels point 53 in Figure 4. In this embodiment, the axes 47 and 49 of thedrive shaft 22 and thestub shaft 78, respectively, intersect at an angle of 90 degrees, and the angles alpha (40 degrees) and beta (50 degrees) are complementary angles, the sum of which is 90 degrees. It is important that the sum of the angles alpha and beta be equal to the angle between the axes of the first andsecond friction wheels - It is also important that the
first friction wheel 24 has a spring force biasing it in the direction of thesecond friction wheel 72, so that, as the beveled faces wear, there will still be good contact between the first and second friction wheels over a large surface area. - A
third friction wheel 82 is mounted on thehub 74 between ashoulder 83 on thehub 74 and a snap ring 84 which snaps into a recess in thehub 74. The third friction wheel 82 (or drive wheel) has a clearance fit with thehub 74 and is centered below two of theconveyor rollers 18, contacting both of thoseconveyor rollers 18, with line contact between the cylindrical outer surface of thethird friction wheel 82 and the cylindrical outer surface of each of thoseconveyor rollers 18. - The
shafts 20 of theconveyor rollers 18 ride invertical slots 86 in the left and right side rails 14, 16 (shown in Figure 6), and generally do not reach the bottom of theslots 86, so that the weight of eachroller 18 is carried on its respectivethird friction wheel 82. Of course, the weight of any product that is being carried on theconveyor roller 18 will also be supported by thethird friction wheel 82. Since the amount of friction between thethird friction wheel 82 and thehub 74 and the amount of friction between theconveyor roller 18 and thethird friction wheel 82 increases as the weight of the conveyor roller increases, the amount of friction available to drive therollers 18 increases as the load increases. This mounting arrangement ensures that there will always be enough friction to drive theconveyor rollers 18, even when they are under heavy loads. - To summarize the drive arrangement in this conveyor: A motor (not shown) drives the
drive shaft 22. The rotating drive shaft drives thefirst friction wheels 24, which are biased toward thesecond friction wheels 72, and which have contact with thesecond friction wheels 72 along a line, giving them good surface area contact for driving thesecond friction wheels 72. Thesecond friction wheels 72 drive theirrespective hubs 74, which, in turn, drive thethird friction wheels 82, and thethird friction wheels 82 drive theconveyor rollers 18. The drawings shown here have the drive shaft always rotating in one direction and the articles on the conveyor always moving from left to right. However, the direction of rotation of thedrive shaft 22 could readily be reversed, thereby reversing the direction of travel of the articles on the conveyor. Such a simple reversal of direction of drive is not available on prior art drive arrangements. - In many cases, it will be advantageous to operate this high speed conveyor as an accumulating conveyor. In this situation, means can be provided for stopping the
conveyor rollers 18 in order to accumulate products on the conveyor. If this conveyor is to operate as an accumulating conveyor, it will preferably include abrake mechanism 88 for stopping the rotation of thethird friction wheels 82, which will also cause theconveyor rollers 18 which contact the stoppedfriction wheels 82 to stop. - The brake mechanism is shown in Figures 3, 6, 7, and 8. Each
brake mechanism 88 in the embodiment shown here is designed to stop two of the third friction wheels (or drive wheels) 82, which stops four of theconveyor rollers 18. The four conveyor rollers controlled by thebrake 88 are then said to be a zone. Thebrake 88 includes aflat friction bar 90, mounted on a piston-cylinder arrangement 92 (or on some other type of actuator). There are two arms 94 (shown in Figures 6-8) which are bolted to the conveyor frame 12 and to thefriction bar 90. Thearms 94 are mounted so as to pivot relative to the conveyor frame 12 and relative to thefriction bar 90, and the distance between the pivot points on each of thearms 94 is the same. As the arms pivot from a lowered, non-braking position, as shown in Figure 6, to an upper, braking position, as shown in Figure 7, the equal-length arms 94 provide a parallelogram effect, so that, as thefriction bar 90 is pushed upward by thepiston 92, thefriction bar 90 remains parallel to thethird friction wheels 82. - There are sensors (not shown) located at intervals along the conveyor 10, as is known in the art for accumulation conveyors. When the sensors sense a back-up of products, they begin to cause fluid to enter the
cylinders 92 in the zones in which products are to accumulate, causing the friction bars 90 for those zones of the conveyor 10 to move upward until they contact theirrespective drive wheels 82, causing thosedrive wheels 82 to stop rotating. These drawings show eachfriction bar 90 contacting twodrive wheels 82, but it would be possible for each friction bar to contact any desired number ofdrive wheels 82, depending upon the desired length of the zone. The clearance fit between thethird friction wheels 82 and theirhubs 74 facilitates this process, permitting thehubs 74 to continue rotating freely even when the brake is applied, so as not to interfere with the driving of the other parts of the conveyor 10. - Figures 10-12 show a second embodiment of the invention, in which a different type of second friction wheel and drive wheel are mounted on the support shafts. The rest of the conveyor, including the drive shaft, the first friction wheels, and the conveyor rollers remain the same as in the first embodiment, except that the
conveyor rollers 18 ride at the bottom of theslots 86. As in the first embodiment, this embodiment contemplates a number of drive wheels, with each of the drive wheels located so as to contact and drive two conveyor rollers. In this second embodiment, the support shaft (second friction wheel shaft) 200 has a threadedend 202, which terminates at ashoulder 204, which is larger than the opening in theside rail 16 through which thesupport shaft 200 is mounted. The support shaft is mounted on theside rail 16 by means of anut 206 and lock washer 208, which push theshoulder 204 against theside rail 16. - Beyond the
shoulder 204 is a portion of the support shaft which has a D-shapedcross-section 210, and theright half 212 of athrust bearing 214 is mounted on that D-shaped portion of the support shaft and has a corresponding D-shaped cross-section, so as to prevent rotation of theright half 212 of thethrust bearing 214 relative to thesupport shaft 200. Theleft half 218 of thethrust bearing 214 has a cylindrical cross-section and is mounted on a portion of thesupport shaft 200 which is cylindrical and has the same diameter as the D-shaped portion of theshaft 200.Balls 215 are located between the left and right portions of thethrust bearing 214 and permit the left portion to rotate relative to the right portion without excessive friction or wear. A C-cup (not shown) may be added to surround the thrust bearing to keep out dust particles. A spring 216 is mounted on thesupport shaft 200 between theside rail 16 and theright half 212 of the thrust bearing. If the spring 216 provides enough friction force on the right side of the thrust bearing to prevent it from rotating, the D-shaped cut on the shaft and thrust bearing can be eliminated, making the pieces cylindrical instead. The primary function of the spring 216 is to bias the drive wheel into engagement with the second friction wheel, as will be explained later. - The next element mounted on the support shaft is a
ring 220, which is preferably made of steel. Thering 220 has a cylindrical inside diameter, which is about 0.001 inches (.025 mm) larger in diameter than the cylindrical portion of thesupport shaft 200, and an outside diameter which is large enough to have good surface contact with the right side of thedrive wheel 222. Thedrive wheel 222 has a cylindrical outer surface, which is in friction contact with two of the conveyor rollers, as in the first embodiment. It has a beveled (frustro-conical)inner surface 224, which is beveled at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the axis of the support shaft. Thedrive wheel 222 is preferably made of two materials which are molded together to form a single piece. Theinner piece 226, which contacts thesecond friction wheel 250 and thering 220, is preferably made of Delrin, and theouter piece 228, which contacts the conveyor rollers, is preferably made of polyurethane. Theinner piece 226 defines anannular shoulder 227 with a tapered inner surface which fits around the outside diameter of thering 220. - The next element mounted on the
support shaft 200 is anair pressure ring 230, which has a smallinside diameter portion 232 which mounts on the same portion of thesupport shaft 200 as thering 220, and a largeinside diameter portion 234, to the left of the small inside diameter portion, which mounts on alarge diameter portion 236 of thesupport shaft 200. Both the smallinside diameter portion 232 and the largeinside diameter portion 234 of thepressure ring member 230 seal against their respective portions of thesupport shaft 200 by means of O-ring seals annular chamber 242 is formed between thesmall seal 238 and thelarge seal 240. The left and inner walls of the chamber are formed by thesupport shaft 200, and the right and outer walls of thechamber 242 are formed by thepressure ring 230. Thechamber 242 is in fluid communication with anair inlet 244 at the end of thesupport shaft 200 through aconduit 246 in thesupport shaft 200. - To the left of the
pressure ring member 230 is abearing 248, on which is mounted thesecond friction wheel 250. The outer race of thebearing 248 is mounted between asnap ring 252 and ashoulder 254 on the inside of thesecond friction wheel 250, and the inner race of the bearing is mounted between ashoulder 256 and asnap ring 258 on the large-diameter portion of the outer surface of thesupport shaft 200. - The
second friction wheel 250 has a beveled (frustro-conical)left end surface 260, as in the first embodiment, and a beveled (frustro-conical) right surface orouter surface 262, which lies at a 45 degree angle to the axis of the support shaft 200 (the same angle as the inner surface of the drive wheel 222), and which mates with the inner tapered surface of thedrive wheel 222 along a large surface area. Thesecond friction wheel 250 is preferably also molded of two different materials. Theright portion 270, which has friction contact with thedrive wheel 222, is preferably made of steel or Delrin, and theleft portion 272, which is in friction contact with the first friction wheel, is preferably made of polyurethane. - Operation of the second embodiment is as follows: The
drive shaft 22 rotates, causing thefirst friction wheel 24 to rotate, as in the first embodiment. Thesecond friction wheel 250 is in friction contact with the first friction wheel, so the second friction wheel also rotates. Under normal driving conditions, the spring 216 pushes against theside rail 16 and against thethrust bearing 214, causing the thrust bearing 214 to push against thering 220, which, in turn, pushes against the right surface of thedrive wheel 222, forcing thedrive wheel 222 into friction engagement with thesecond friction wheel 250 and with the conveyor rollers, thereby causing the drive wheel to rotate and drive the conveyor rollers. Thedrive wheel 222 also causes thering 220 and theleft side 218 of the thrust bearing 214 to rotate. - When pressurized air is forced into the
air inlet 244 of thesupport shaft 200, it travels through theconduit 246 and into thechamber 242. The pressurized air pushes against the walls of thechamber 242, causing thepressure ring 230 to shift about 1/8 inch 3.175 mm to the right, pushing against thering 220 and overcoming the force of the spring 216 so as to permit thedrive wheel 222 to move to the right, as shown in Figure 12. As thedrive wheel 222 shifts to the right, it moves down slightly, out of contact with the conveyor rollers. Thedrive wheel 222 then contacts the second friction wheel only at the uppermost point (not shown), and there is a gap between thedrive wheel 222 and thesecond friction wheel 250 around the rest of their beveled surfaces. Because there is no load on thedrive wheel 222, it can be driven in a freewheeling mode by the small amount of friction from the point contact with thesecond friction wheel 250. However, there is not sufficient friction between thesecond friction wheel 250 and thedrive wheel 222 to transfer a driving force to the conveyor rollers, even if thedrive wheel 222 did contact the conveyor rollers. Thus, when thepressure ring 230 overcomes the spring bias and shifts to the right, it disconnects the train of driving elements, so the conveyor rollers driven by thedrive wheel 222 stop rotating and begin to accumulate. When the controller wishes to resume driving that section of the conveyor, the air pressure is vented from thechamber 242, through theconduit 246 and theinlet 244, and the spring force again shifts the drive wheel to the left and upward, causing thedrive wheel 222 to engage thesecond friction wheel 250 and the conveyor rollers, so the drive wheel again drives the conveyor rollers. If the conveyor is not intended to be used to accumulate products, theair pressure ring 230 can be eliminated. Then, after the conveyor is installed, it can readily be converted to serve as an accumulating conveyor simply by inserting thepressure ring 230 or by replacing the complete support shaft assembly. - It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Claims (11)
- A conveyor, comprising a conveyor frame (16), at least one conveyor roller (18) mounted on said conveyor frame (16), a drive shaft (22) extending along said conveyor and a drive connection (24, 72, 74, 82 and 24, 250, 222) between said drive shaft (22) and said conveyor roller (18), said drive connection (24, 72, 74, 82 and 24, 250, 222) includes drive disconnection means having a first condition in which the conveyor roller (18) is rotatable by the drive shaft (22), and a second condition in which the drive from the drive shaft (22) to the conveyor roller (18) is disconnected, characterised in that said drive connection includes at least one friction wheel (82, 222) for transmitting the drive to the at least one conveyor roller (18) and a driven wheel (72, 74, 250) driven by said drive shaft (22), the friction wheel (82, 222) and the driven wheel (72, 250) being rotatable about a drive axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of the drive shaft (22), said friction wheel (82, 222) being at least substantially co-axial with and driven by the driven wheel (72, 74, 250) through a frictional connection between an inner surface of the friction wheel (82, 222) and an outer surface of the driven wheel (74, 250).
- A conveyor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said friction wheel (82, 222) is selectively shiftable relative to the driven wheel (72, 250) to provide said first and second conditions.
- A conveyor according to claim 2 wherein the drive disconnection means comprises means to enable the drive wheel (82, 222) to shift perpendicular to said drive axis.
- A conveyor as claimed in claim 3 wherein the friction wheel (222) is disconnected from said roller conveyor (18) when shifted perpendicularly to the drive axis.
- A conveyor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said driven wheel (250) defines a drive wheel engaging surface (262) and said friction wheel (222) defines a driven-wheel-engaging surface (260) which engages the drive wheel engaging surface (262) of said driven wheel (250);and further comprising, a friction wheel biasing means (216) located between said conveyor frame (16) and said friction wheel (222) to bias the engaging surface (260) of the friction wheel (222) into driving engagement with the corresponding engaging surface (262) of the driven wheel (250);and means for opposing said friction wheel biasing means (216) so as to disengage said friction wheel (222) from driving engagement by shifting said friction wheel (222) relative to said driven wheel (250).
- A conveyor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 further comprising a friction wheel (24) mounted on said drive shaft (22), which friction wheel (24) engages said driven wheel (72, 250) so as to drive said driven wheel (72, 250).
- A conveyor as claimed in claim 6 wherein said friction wheel (24) and said driven wheel (250) are both friction wheels having tapered engaging surfaces.
- A conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said friction wheel is biased into frictional drive contact with said driven wheel, the drive disconnection means comprising brake means (88, 90) selectively engageable with said friction wheel (82) to brake said friction wheel (82), and to break said frictional drive contact with said friction wheel (82).
- A conveyor as claimed in claim 8 wherein said driven wheel (72) is rotatably fast with a hub (74), said friction wheel (82) being mounted on said hub (74) with a clearance fit and being rotatable relative to the said hub (74).
- A conveyor according to any one of the preceding claims comprising a plurality of said conveyor rollers (18) mounted on said conveyor frame (14, 16), and a plurality of said friction wheels (82), wherein each of said friction wheels (82) contacts and drives two of said conveyor rollers (68).
- A conveyor as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10 wherein each of said conveyor rollers (18) has a supporting shaft (20) which rides in slots (86) in said conveyor frame (14, 16), such that the weight of each conveyor roller (18) is supported on said friction wheel (82) so that the friction force between the friction wheel (82) and the hub (74) increases as the weight of articles on the conveyor rollers (18) increases.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US578426 | 1990-09-05 | ||
US07/578,426 US5038922A (en) | 1990-09-05 | 1990-09-05 | High speed line shaft conveyor |
PCT/US1991/005706 WO1992004261A1 (en) | 1990-09-05 | 1991-08-12 | High-speed roller-way |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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EP0500902A1 EP0500902A1 (en) | 1992-09-02 |
EP0500902B1 true EP0500902B1 (en) | 1996-06-05 |
Family
ID=24312841
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP91916955A Expired - Lifetime EP0500902B1 (en) | 1990-09-05 | 1991-08-12 | High-speed roller-way |
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Country | Link |
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US (1) | US5038922A (en) |
EP (1) | EP0500902B1 (en) |
AT (1) | ATE138880T1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2072986C (en) |
DE (1) | DE69120051T2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO1992004261A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (16)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
USRE35851E (en) * | 1993-02-05 | 1998-07-21 | Interlake Material Handling, Inc. | High speed lineshaft-driven accumulating conveyor |
US5287956B1 (en) * | 1993-02-05 | 1996-04-30 | Interlake Companies | High speed conveyor with movable wheel |
US5411132A (en) * | 1994-01-21 | 1995-05-02 | Bourgeois; Ronald D. | Accumulating roller conveyor |
US5360100A (en) * | 1994-01-21 | 1994-11-01 | Bourgeois Ronald D | Roller conveyor |
US5906268A (en) * | 1997-02-24 | 1999-05-25 | Siemens Electrocom L.P. | Sensor roller |
DE19900461C2 (en) * | 1999-01-08 | 2002-10-31 | Infineon Technologies Ag | transport device |
US6158574A (en) * | 1999-02-26 | 2000-12-12 | Williams; Dwon A. | Roller conveyor |
US6622757B2 (en) | 1999-11-30 | 2003-09-23 | Veeder-Root Company | Fueling system vapor recovery and containment performance monitor and method of operation thereof |
US6367618B1 (en) * | 2000-04-10 | 2002-04-09 | Unova Ip Corp. | Friction roll conveyor clutch apparatus |
US6454082B1 (en) * | 2000-12-05 | 2002-09-24 | Valiant Corporation | Roller conveyor system |
US7125012B2 (en) * | 2004-03-12 | 2006-10-24 | Gregory James Newell | Rotatable feed wheel for sheet converting machine |
US7909069B2 (en) * | 2006-05-04 | 2011-03-22 | Veeder-Root Company | System and method for automatically adjusting an ORVR compatible stage II vapor recovery system to maintain a desired air-to-liquid (A/L) ratio |
JP2008308266A (en) * | 2007-06-13 | 2008-12-25 | Fujitsu Ltd | Roller conveyor and conveyance control method |
DE102008046520A1 (en) * | 2008-09-10 | 2010-03-11 | Robert Bosch Gmbh | Roller conveyor with drive shaft assembly |
DE102008058403A1 (en) * | 2008-11-21 | 2010-05-27 | Robert Bosch Gmbh | Conveyor with a curve |
CN111573157A (en) * | 2018-09-27 | 2020-08-25 | 金洁 | Logistics transmission mechanism based on transmission belt |
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US1735767A (en) * | 1927-03-31 | 1929-11-12 | Bethlehem Steel Corp | Drive for roller tables in rolling mills |
US2194219A (en) * | 1939-02-25 | 1940-03-19 | Standard Conveyor Co | Brake and accelerator for conveyers |
US2748919A (en) * | 1953-08-06 | 1956-06-05 | Roscoe C Britton | Line-shaft roller conveyor with shiftable bearings |
CH384315A (en) * | 1961-02-23 | 1964-11-15 | Heberlein & Co Ag | Friction gear |
US3667589A (en) * | 1970-04-01 | 1972-06-06 | Schlitz Brewing Co J | Conveying system having an automatically deactivated drive |
NL7107537A (en) * | 1970-06-16 | 1971-12-20 | ||
US3877565A (en) * | 1971-09-27 | 1975-04-15 | Alvey Inc | Pressure free article conveyor |
US3810538A (en) * | 1972-09-25 | 1974-05-14 | Gec Elliott Mech Handling | Conveyors |
US3961700A (en) * | 1973-08-09 | 1976-06-08 | Fleischauer Fred J | Limited torque conveyor construction |
US4006815A (en) * | 1974-11-11 | 1977-02-08 | Alvey Inc. | Article transporting conveyor |
US4103769A (en) * | 1976-07-06 | 1978-08-01 | Stone Conveyor, Inc. (Entire) | Live roller conveyor |
US4108303A (en) * | 1976-08-02 | 1978-08-22 | The E. W. Buschman Company | Power transmission assembly for an accumulator conveyor |
US4344527A (en) * | 1976-08-02 | 1982-08-17 | The E. W. Buschman Company | Roller conveyor with friction roll drive |
US4185735A (en) * | 1977-09-15 | 1980-01-29 | Hammond Theodore A | Powered pan conveyor |
US4193492A (en) * | 1977-09-15 | 1980-03-18 | Hammond Theodore A | Line shaft drive for powered roller conveyor |
BE870482A (en) * | 1978-09-14 | 1979-01-02 | Lajot Bertha J Veuve De Margan | ROLLER CONVEYOR |
CA1135210A (en) * | 1980-06-17 | 1982-11-09 | Robert K. Vogt | Live roller conveyor |
GB2078184B (en) * | 1980-06-24 | 1984-03-07 | Folkes Alan Robert | Driven roller conveyor |
DE3148176C2 (en) * | 1981-12-05 | 1984-09-06 | Volker Ing.(grad.) 7085 Bopfingen Burkhardt | Device for transporting goods to be conveyed |
US4609098A (en) * | 1982-03-08 | 1986-09-02 | Figgie International Inc. | Zero pressure accumulating conveyor and module |
FR2540841B1 (en) * | 1983-02-10 | 1987-04-10 | Ind Automation Sa | FRICTION ROLLER CONVEYOR |
AT384595B (en) * | 1983-03-24 | 1987-12-10 | Tgw Transportgeraete Gmbh | ROLLER RAILWAY |
DE3323718A1 (en) * | 1983-06-25 | 1985-01-03 | Johann A. Krause Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co, 2820 Bremen | Roller conveyor |
DE3323293C2 (en) * | 1983-06-28 | 1989-06-08 | Stirner, Geb. Holzner, Anita Maria, 7085 Bopfingen | Roller transport device |
DE3426598A1 (en) * | 1983-07-20 | 1985-02-07 | Dürr Automation + Fördertechnik GmbH, 7889 Grenzach-Wyhlen | Friction roller conveyor |
DE3401634A1 (en) * | 1984-01-19 | 1985-07-25 | LSW Maschinenfabrik GmbH, 2800 Bremen | FRICTION ROLLER RAILWAY WITH FRICTION BETWEEN LENGTH SHAFT AND CROSS SHAFTS |
GB8500592D0 (en) * | 1985-01-10 | 1985-02-13 | Sponmech Ltd | Power & free roller conveyor |
JPS61254405A (en) * | 1985-05-07 | 1986-11-12 | Sanyo Kiko Kk | Roller apparatus for conveying article |
DE3629620A1 (en) * | 1986-08-30 | 1988-03-03 | Burkhardt Volker | Apparatus for transporting material on conveying rollers |
-
1990
- 1990-09-05 US US07/578,426 patent/US5038922A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1991
- 1991-08-12 DE DE69120051T patent/DE69120051T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1991-08-12 AT AT91916955T patent/ATE138880T1/en active
- 1991-08-12 EP EP91916955A patent/EP0500902B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1991-08-12 CA CA002072986A patent/CA2072986C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1991-08-12 WO PCT/US1991/005706 patent/WO1992004261A1/en active IP Right Grant
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US5038922A (en) | 1991-08-13 |
WO1992004261A1 (en) | 1992-03-19 |
DE69120051D1 (en) | 1996-07-11 |
DE69120051T2 (en) | 1997-01-30 |
EP0500902A1 (en) | 1992-09-02 |
CA2072986C (en) | 1995-02-14 |
ATE138880T1 (en) | 1996-06-15 |
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